Holly's Pantry

Amaretto and Raisin Rice Pudding

2010-11-17T08:55:00.000-08:00

For some inexplicable reason I was craving rice pudding, something I had never had before.

Since I didn't know if I would like it or not, I decided to head to the fridge section of the supermarket and pick one up. The sheer disappointment when I got home and discovered that I had only picked up a stupid yogurt! So, I took this as a sign to make some.

I followed the basic recipe on the back of the pack, to just cook the rice but upped the volume a little bit. Obviously I couldn't just leave it as the pack had suggested. I had to add some yummy things-sweet almond liqueur called Amaretto and a fistful of raisins.

I can now safely say, I like rice pudding!

Ingredients:
Serves 8-10 generously, can easily be halved.

3 Cups Water
1 1/2 Cups Uncooked Pudding Rice
5 Cups Whole Milk
1 Cup Double Cream
1/2 Cup Castor Sugar
1/3 Unsalted Butter
1/4 Cup Amaretto
1 Cup Raisins
Pinch of Salt
Zest of a Lemon

Method:
1. Begin by cooking the rice. Bring the 3 cups of water to the boil, stir in the lemon zest, rice and a pinch of salt.
2. Reduce heat and simmer until the water has been absorbed, stirring occasionally.
3. Remove to a dish.
4. In a large pan place the butter, milk, cream and sugar. Bring to the boil.
5. Add the rice, raisins and Amaretto and cook down until rich and creamy about 20-30 minutes. Stir occasionally.
6.Place in a serving dish and serve lovely and hot or delicious and cold.

*If you are cooling this before serving, transfer to a dish and cover with cling film directly on top of the rice pudding so a skin doesn't form*

Banana Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream

2010-11-02T11:12:00.001-07:00

'Ooohhh are those cupcakes?!' This is generally what people say around these little individual cups are delishness.

This recipe makes really soft, fluffy airy cakes and the Vanilla Buttercream is awesome-my favourite recipe.

Come on get yo' bake on!

Yum Cupped Cakes :)

Ingredients:
Makes 12
Adapted from 'Cupcakes From The Primose Bakery'
125g Unsalted Butter, soft
250g Caster Sugar
2 Eggs, beaten
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
250g Plain Flour, sifted
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
4 Ripe Bananas, Mashed
175g Good Quality(30%-70% cocoa solids) Plain/Milk Chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1 Quantity Vanilla Buttercream-see below

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180 Degrees Celsius and line a twelve holed cupcake tray with cupcake cases.
2. Cream butter and sugar together in a large bowl until pale and smooth-about 5 minutes.
3. Add the eggs one at time along with the vanilla essence. If necessary scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
4. Sift the flour and baking powder together, then add to the egg mixture. Stir until combined.
5. Add the mashed banana and the chocolate chips. The mixture should resemble cookie dough.
6. Scoop the mixture into the cases FILLING NO MORE THE THREE THIRDS OF THE WAY UP!!
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.
8. Remove and allow to cool for 10 minutes in then, then remove onto a wire rack to cool completely.
9. Once cooled-ice these little beauties!

Vanilla Buttercream:
Ices 15ish Cupcakes
Ingredients:
100g Unsalted Butter, soft
60ml Milk, room temperature
2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
500g Icing Sugar, sieved twice

Method.
*Just to have a really smooth Buttercream I always sieve Icing Sugar twice*
1. In a food processor beat the butter, milk, extract and 250g of icing sugar until smooth-about 7 minutes.
2. Gradually add the remaining icing sugar until smooth.

Toffee Apples

2010-10-29T10:38:00.000-07:00

Halloween has arrived and my sister requested I make some Toffee Apples.

Toffee Apples remind me of Halloween when I was younger, except I remember cellophane wrapped toffee coated soft apples. It was always so disappointing having your teeth sink through the toffee and soft apple flesh! These are a lot different in that they are crisp, crunchy apples with hard crackling toffee finished with sprinkles.

*Warning* The toffee when cooking gets extremely hot so be careful not to drop any on your skin.

Ingredients:
225g Demerara Sugar
110ml Water
25g Butter
2 Tablespoons Golden Syrup
1/2 Teaspoon White Wine Vineagr
6 Braeburn Apples/Granny Smith Apples
6 Lollipop Sticks
Sprinkles-optional

Method:
1. Put sugar and water in a saucepan and simmer until the sugar has dissolved stirring constantly.
2. Once sugar has dissolved remove briefly from heat and whisk in the rest of the ingredients.
3. Return to heat, place a sugar thermometer on the side of the pan and boil until it reaches 138 degrees celsius/hard crack stage. Alternatively boil for 12 minutes.
4. While sugar is boiling pierce the bottom of the apples with the lollipop sticks.
5. Once the toffee is ready, dip the apples in. Roll them around and generously coat them in the toffee.
6. Roll the toffee coated apples in sprinkles if you please.
7. Leave the apples to harden on a baking sheet lined with parchment.

Chewy(I promise!) Oatmeal, Raisin and Almond Cookies

2010-10-02T12:15:00.000-07:00

I have tried SEVERAL cookie recipes all of which have resulted in crispy cookies and me in a bad mood. I am not a crispy cookie kind of gal, I prefer a cookie with a squidgy soft centre and this recipe definitely delivers!!

Ingredients:(Makes approx 16 cookies)
125g Unsalted Butter, softened
2/3 Cup Light Brown Sugar (Packed Tightly)
1 Large Egg
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
3/4 Cup Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Bicarbonate Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 Cups Porridge Oats
3/4 Cup Raisins
1/2 Cup Almonds Chopped

Method:
1. In a stand-up mixer cream the butter, sugar, vanilla and egg together until smooth.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, bicarb soda and salt.
3. Stir the flour into the butter and add the oats, raisins and chopped almonds.
4. Using an ice-cream scoop, scoop the dough onto parchment lined baking trays. The dough should be 2 inches apart.
5. Transfer to a fridge and chill for 15-20 minutes.
CHILLING THE COOKIE DOUGH WILL RESULT IN YOU HAVING A THICKER COOKIE
6.Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius.
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes-the baking time will differ depending on your oven. The cookies should be golden brown around the edges and a little doughy looking in the centre.
8. Allow to sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to cool on a wire rack.
Delish!!

Salmon, Pepper and Tomato Frittata

2010-09-24T10:08:00.000-07:00

Autumn is here and I'm ready for some home cookin'.
I'm ready for warm and rustic meals.
I'm ready to make a frittata.

There is something so yummy about a frittata. Its morish smell, its ever changing versatility, its appealing appearance and most importantly its undeniable ability to please every time!

Skulking around the kitchen I found a basket of fresh eggs, left over baked salmon and with a garden full of fresh herbs my first thought was "We're having frittata for dinner!".

Ingredients:
12 Large Eggs
50ml Milk
2 Peppers-red/green/yellow/orange
1 Large Tin of Corn
1 Red Onion
1 Large Spanish Onion
Large Handful Fresh Chives
Large Handful Fresh Parley
1 Medium Tomato, sliced
2 Baked Salmon Fillets
50g Grated Cheddar Cheese
Plenty of Salt and Pepper

Method:
Preheat oven to 200 degrees celcius.
1. Slice the onion and peppers and place in a large bowl.
2. Drain the corn and add to the bowl.
3. Drizzle with a little olive oil,season generously and with your hands mix thoroughly.
4. Roughly chop the herbs and set aside.
5.Crack all 12 eggs into another bowl, add the milk, chopped herbs, cheese and season.
6. Line a 30cm x 12cm dish with greaseproof paper.
7. Transfer onions, pepper and corn to the dish.
8. Crumble over the salmon.
9. Whisk the eggs and pour over the salmon.
10. Top with the sliced tomato and cover with a layer of tin foil.
11. Bake for 30 minutes covered. After 30 minutes remove foil and bake for a further 20 minutes or until the centre is set.
12. Serve with a simple green salad and brown bread.

Homemade Lemonade

2010-05-22T08:59:00.001-07:00

With the weather being so unbelievably nice and how a decent summer should be-I decided to make Homemade Lemonade today! I've never actually made Homemade Lemonade but the idea really appeals to me. I think of all those 1950's housewives in floral dresses adorned with pearls, effortlessly juicing lemons while tending to all their other daily chores!

I discovered that lemonade making is incredible easy and really rewarding! The first icy-cold sip is heavenly and so satisfying. Yes juicing the lemons is tedious-but sitting outside in the glorious sun listening to 'She&Him-Volume Two'passes the time quickly!

Homemade Lemonade consists of four ingredients-water, sugar,lemons and plenty of ice. You begin by making a sugar syrup. Which simply is equal quantities of sugar and water dissolved together in a pot over the heat and boiled for 3 minutes. Sugar syrup keeps really well up to six months well sealed in the fridge.

I had some strawberries, raspberries and left over lemons in the fridge. I used these to decorate the glasses and drop in on top of the Homemade Lemonade-Delicious!

Homemade Lemonade
10-12 Glasses

Ingredients-
1 Cup of Water + 1 Cup of Sugar
2-3 Cups of freshly squeezed lemon juice(about 20-30 lemons), depending on how bitter you want it. I used 3 cups which gave it a nice zing!
1.5 Litre of still/sparkling water.
Ice

1. Pour sugar and water into a pot over a medium heat.
2. Dissolve the sugar and stir constantly until it comes to the boil.
3. Stop stirring once it reaches the boil, and boil for 3 minutes.
4. Remove from the heat and cool completely.
5. Juice all the lemons.
6. In a pitcher filled with ice-pour the cooled sugar syrup, lemon juice and water over.
7. Stir to combine and top with some whole raspberries and lemon slices.
8. Pour into ice filled glasses and enjoy!

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs:)

2010-04-24T17:36:00.000-07:00

Ok...food stuffed with another food can only lead to something being awesome right?!

These delicious meatballs are stuffed with mozzarella. The mozzarella melts inside the meatball and goes all gooey and stringy and is just so moorish :)

You can use any herb/ spice combo you want in the meatballs but I kept it simple with some garlic and oregano. I am a very big garlic fan and this recipe calls for 4 garlic cloves...feel free to tone down the garlic-ness if you feel like it might be too much!

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs:)
Serves 4-

Ingredients:
Meatballs-
500g Minced Meat
4 Garlic Cloves, crushed
1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
50g Breadcrumbs
75g Mozzarella, cubed into 12 pieces
Small Handful Fresh Parsley, chopped
Sauce-
1 Small Red Onion, diced
2 Roasted Red Peppers, from a jar,drained and stripped
2 Tablespoons Tomato Purée
200ml Beef Stock, I used a Knorr cube
Handful of Fresh Parsley, chopped
To Serve-
Penne Pasta, Garlic Bread and Salad.

Method:
1. Mix the meat, garlic, breadcrumbs, herbs together and season.
2. With clean wet hands roll the meat mixture into 12 meatballs.
3. Taking a meatball at a time and one piece of cubed mozzarella, poke the cheese into their centre of the meatballs and re-roll so it is fully enclosed.
4. Repeat this until all the meat mixture and cheese is gone.
5. Cover and rest in the fridge for 30 min while you make your sauce.
6. Heat some olive oil and fry your diced red onion for about 10 mins.
7. Add the tomato purée, stock, peppers and parsley.
8. Bring to the boil and turn off.
9. Heat another pan and brown your meatballs all over.
10. Add to the sauce and simmer gently the 15-20 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through.
11. Serve piled on top of Penne pasta, garlic bread and a fresh crispy green salad!

Mediterranean Crusted Baked Cod

2010-04-24T12:31:00.000-07:00

My mother banished the fish salesman who dropped by our house regularly for overpriced fish! Since then we haven't been eating fish as often which is a shame because it's so good for you, extremely versatile and incredible tasty!

We got our hands on some lovely cod fillets today which didn't need much jazzing up, but since we had a freshly stocked fridge I decided to get creative:)
I decided to go with the Mediterranean ingredients-tomato, basil, onion, oregano and peppers.

This is an extremely easy recipe, the sauce and topping can be made in advance and it could easily be doubled or tripled for a larger crowed!

Mediterranean Crusted Baked Cod!
Serves 4 hungry people-as a main course/8 as nice starter!

Ingredients:
4x10oz Cod Fillets
Olive Oil
1 Large Spanish Onion, sliced
1 Red Pepper, stripped
4 Garlic Cloves, crushed
1 Tin Chopped Tomatoes
Seasoning
1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
10-12 Basil Leaves(fresh),chopped. Plus extra for garnish
2 Tablespoon Chopped Parsley(fresh),chopped
Topping:
1 Tablespoon Grated Parmesan
8 Tablespoons Breadcrumbs
Seasoning
1 Tablespoon Chopped Parsley(fresh)
Melted butter-just enough to combine

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 220 Degrees Celsius
2. Heat the olive oil in a non-stick pan, sweat the onion for 5 mins or until soft and translucent.
3. Add the peppers along with the garlic and cook for 1 minute-be careful NOT to burn the garlic.
4. Add the tinned tomatoes and stir, seasoning with salt, pepper and add the oregano.
5. Add the chopped herbs and simmer on a low heat for 10-15mins and then allow to cool while you make the topping.
6. Mix together the breadcrumbs,seasoning,cheese and parsley.
7. Mix in the melted butter until it clumps together.
8. Spread the cooled sauce evenly in the base of a buttered dish.
9. Season the cod fillets and sprinkle with the topping before placing on top of the sauce.
10. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 mins-depending on the thickness of your fish.
11. Remove the dish and scatter with some whole basil leaves.
12. Serve with green beans and baby potatoes!

Spicy Chorizo Pasta

2010-04-03T10:25:00.000-07:00

This recipe is probably one of my FAVE dinners..not only is it super tasty but its super easy to make! Mid-week dinners need to be fast, tasty and something that can be rustled up quickly without to much thought....Spicy Chorizo Pasta is just the ticket:)

Ingredients:
-adapted from Rachel Allen

300g Spicy Chorizo Sausage
2 Tins of Tomatoes
4 Garlic Cloves
Knob of Butter
150ml Light Cream
1 Teaspoon Dried Rosemary
1/2 Teaspoon Dries Chili Flakes
500g Penne Pasta
Parmesan Cheese

Method:
1. Melt butter in a pan and crush garlic.
2. Add crushed garlic to pan and cook until edges begin to brown and then add the tinned tomatoes.
3. Add dried herbs, spices and season nicely with salt and pepper.
4. Slice sausage into 1/4 inch rounds and add to sauce.
5. Pour in the cream and simmer uncovered for 15-20mins until nicely reduced and saucy.
6. While sauce is cooking, bring a large pot of water to the boil and salt it once boiled.
7. Add the pasta and cook until al dente.
8. Drain pasta, pour over sauce and mix until all the pasta is coated in the spicy sauce.
9. Serve with grated Parmesan, garlic bread and a crisp crunchy caeser salad...Enjoy!

The Humble Hen

2010-03-28T09:58:00.000-07:00

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Whoever out there is reading this(if anyone) I ask you is there a better, more satisfying smell than the smell of a chicken roasting?! Gets me every time, the smell wafts through the entire house and sets your taste buds wild!

With a large roasting chicken in the fridge and only 2 out of 6 people -3 max- having dinner I was not going to go to the hassle of preparing an entire roast...No Sir. The obvious answer to my chicken dilemma was to, cook the bird and make sandwiches. If I do say so myself I make a mean sandwich!

There's a spice blend mix I've been meaning to use for a while and I finally got my chance :). It's for salmon fillets or chicken breasts but a smothered it over my bird and roasted it in the oven.

Special Spice Mix!

Ingredients-makes enough for 2 large chickens:

-adapted from Domini Kemp.

1 Tbsp Ground Coriander
1 Tbsp Cumin Seeds
1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
2 Tbsp Smoked Paprika
1 Tbsp Ground Black Pepper
1 Tbsp Flaky Sea Salt
1 Tbsp Dried Thyme
1 Tbsp Oregano

Method:

Combine the coriander, garlic powder, paprika, pepper, salt, thyme and oregano.
In a pestle & mortar grind the cumin seeds until half is powdered.
Add cumin to the other spices and mix to combine evenly.
Store in an airtight container.

*If you do not have one or two of the spices don't fret-though the paprika is necessary! Use rosemary instead of thyme or already ground cumins seeds. It is just a guideline, not written in stone!*

Special Spice Chicken Sandwiches

Ingredients:

Half of the above spice mix.
1 Roasting Chicken, bought to room temp.
Olive Oil
Whole Grain Bread-(2 slices per person)
Hummus
Raita(recipe below)
Sliced Tomato
Crispy Lettuce Leaves
A Bag of Lightly Salted Crisps

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 Degrees Celsius.
Place chicken in a roasting dish and rub all over with the olive oil.
Rub the entire bird -front, back and a little in the cavity- with your spice mix.
Cover with tin foil and roast in your preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours to 1 hr 3/4 hour or until juices run clear.
Remove foil for the last half hour to allow the chicken crisp.
Remove from oven and allow to come to room temperature before carving and making your sandwiches.
Make raita while chicken is cooling.

Raita

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons Natural Yogurt
1/4 Cucumber
3 Spring Onions
Salt and Pepper
Lemon Juice

Method

Half the cucumber, de-seed and cut into small cubes.
Finely slice the spring onion.
Add onion and cucumber to yogurt.
Season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

Assembling the Sandwich:

Lightly toast your sliced bread.
Using the hummus as a butter substitute, smear both slices of bread with a decent amount.
Lay your slices of carved chicken on the bread followed by sliced tomato, a dollop of raita and some lettuce leaves.
Top with remaining slice of bread.
Cut into two halves and serve with a handful of crisps.

An Egg A Day Is.....

2010-03-25T10:26:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning with a craving for eggs, and to my delight our egg basket was full:) with 14 organic eggs! Whilst inspecting the eggs I saw that the best before date read 25.03.2010...which is today! Two eggs down after my scrambles eggs I had to find something to do the with the other 12, I was home alone so there was nobody I could pawn an omelet off on...So I decided that I would get my 'Bake On' after college!

10 Raspberry and Blueberry Buttermilk Biscuits, 1 Oaty Banana Bread, 1 Madeira Loaf and 2 Hard Boiled Eggs later....I'm egg free!

Raspberry and Blueberry Buttermilk Biscuits

-adapted from Rachel Allen's Bake.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
500g Plain Flour
125g Cubed COLD Butter
25g Caster Sugar
1 Egg
275ml Buttermilk
A Good Handful of Both Raspberries and Blueberries.

Method:

Preheat oven to 220 Degrees Celsius(425 F.H)
Cube butter and place in fridge until needed.
Sift the flour, powder and bicarb into a bowl.
Using the tips of your fingers rub the cubed butter into the dry ingredients until fine breadcrumbs appear.
Stir in the caster sugar.
Beat egg and set aside 1/3 of it-for egg wash.
add remaining egg to the buttermilk and combine.
Make a well in the flour mixture and pour in the buttermilk.
Using a clawed hand or knife mix dough until combined-DO NOT OVER MIX!!
Turn out onto a floured surface.
Quickly knead to bring the dough together.
Divide in half.
Take on half and shape into a rectangular shape and roll until 45cm in length or 1cm thick.
Repeat with other half.
Sprinkle the raspberries and blueberries over one half of the dough and egg wash the edges.
Lay the other half on top and push down the edges.
Using a knife cut the rectangular shape into triangles.
Egg wash and sprinkle with some extra sugar.
Bake in preheated oven for 10-15 mins or until golden.
Remove, allow to cool slightly as EAT!

Oaty Banana Bread

Ingredients:

150g Plain Flour
120g Rolled Uncooked Oats
1/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
Pinch of Salt
1 Whole Egg
2 Egg Whites
3 Fresh Bananas
100g Soft Light Brown Sugar
1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil.

Method

Place flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder,sugar and cinnamon in a mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
Mash banana with a fork in a separate bowl, add beaten egg,oil and mix to combine.
Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients until combined-should be like a thick batter.
In a clean bowl with a whisk, whisk egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff.
In two stages fold the whites carefully into the batter.
Pour into prepared loaf tin, smooth top and run the back of a baby spoon down the centre.
Place in preheated oven and bake for 40-50mins.
Remove, cool for 5 mins in tin before removing.
Cool a little longer,slice and enjoy!

Madeira Loaf

Ingredient:

350g Self Raising Flour
275g Caster Sugar
275g Softened Butter
1 1/2 Teaspoon Almond/Vanilla Extract
5 Eggs

Method:

Line a loaf tin with a double layer of greaseproof paper and preheat oven to 150 Degrees Celsius.
Cream sugar and butter together until fluffy with electric mixer.
Add each egg separately, beating well after each addition.
Sieve flour and add to egg mixture mixing to combine.
Pour into prepared tin and bake for 1 1/2 hours to 1 3/4 hours.
Remove, cool in tin for 10mins before cooling completely.
Put on kettle, slice loaf and Enjoy!

A Whopping Bean Stew!

2010-03-22T02:48:00.000-07:00

I have a SERIOUS affection for beans, tortilla wraps and all things that go with wraps and beans! I'm not to sure if it's 100% sane or healthy but gawd they are so good! I cannot think of a better meal then a big bowl of bean stew, a tall stack of tortilla wraps, homemade guacamole, hummus, sour cream and salsa.....YUM!

OH GOD I CANNOT WAIT FOR DINNER!!

Bean Stew with ALL the trimmings:)

Ingredients:

200g-300g canned beans drained or dried, soaked overnight covered in water eg kidney, soya beans, chickpeas, aduki, pimento, cannellini etc
6 Smoked streaky bacon rasher-optional
Half a red pepper, cut into strips
Half a orange pepper, cut into strips
Half a yellow pepper, cut into strips
1 White Onion, cut into half moons
1 Red Onion, cut into half moons
4 Garlic Cloves, crushed
1 Large Carrot, Sliced
1 Tablespoon Tomato Puree
500ml Beef/Veg Stock
1 Tin Tomatoes/ Passata
2 Teaspoon Fresh chopped Thyme/Rosemary
1 Teaspoon Dried Chili Flakes
Bunch Chopped Fresh Parsley

Method:

Cut bacon into cubes and fry in olive oil in a big pot until crisp-remove with a slotted spoon,drain on paper towel.
Add the onions and sauté for 3-5 mins, then add garlic, carrot and peppers.
Stir in tomato purée and evenly coat all the vegetables.
Stir in the drained beans, chili flakes and rosemary/thyme and season well with salt and pepper.
Add the tinned tomato and enough stock just to cover it.
Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 mins.
Before serving stir in the freshly chopped parsley.

Simple Homemade Guacamole:

2 Avocados-scooped and mashed

1 Lime-juiced

Handful of Coriander/Cilantro-chopped

Salt and Pepper

Mix all ingredients together.

Easy Homemade Salsa:

10-15 Cherry Tomatoes-Halved

Half a red onion-diced fine-ish

Half a lime-Juiced

Salt and Pepper

A few dashes of Tabasco--according to taste!

Mix all ingredients together

Serve Bean Stew with:

Simple Homemade guacamole

Easy Homemade Salsa

An 8 pack of tortilla wraps-(2 per person)

Grated cheddar cheese

Sour cream

Hummus

Enjoy EVERY last beany bite!